Ensuring sobriety and rail safety

Rail worker Bill Regan volunteered for "Operation Redblock," which trains team members and union members to confront fellow employees who appear to be under the influence. (Evan Richman/Globe Staff)

Bill Regan, a worker on the Massachusetts commuter rail for 19 years and a former union chief, says the railroad is "a harsh environment" that leads people to drink and use drugs.

Four of his co-workers tested positive for drugs or alcohol after their involvement in the three most serious accidents in recent years. Those same crashes killed people whom Regan considered friends.

Last month, as results of the latest Massachusetts railroad crash investigation were released by federal officials, Regan volunteered for "Operation Redblock." The program trains team members and union members to confront fellow employees who appear to be under the influence, persuade them to go home, and provide them with counseling options. First-time offenders do not receive a mark on their personnel file.

Backers of the program - including the private company that runs the commuter rail, the unions, and railroads across the country - say it's not an unlimited free pass. It gets potentially dangerous workers off the tracks if they pose an immediate risk, and encourages co-workers to intervene without being seen as rats. Besides, supervisors may not detect all the potential problems on their own.

"You'd rather hear that from a co-worker," said Warren Flatau, spokesman for the Federal Railroad Administration, which began encouraging such programs in 1985. "Having these voluntary programs is not only a more constructive basis, it's more effective."

Workers who get caught by a supervisor are pulled off the tracks and are usually sent to a program with regular monitoring that can lead to dismissal in some cases.

Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Co., which runs commuter rail for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, was forced to "reinvigorate" the Redblock program last year when the company signed a "safety compliance agreement" with the Federal Railroad Administration. The program had been in place for years, but participation varied.

The company also agreed to make a "good faith effort" to work with the track workers union to start a random drug-testing policy. Engineers, conductors, and dispatchers are subject to random drug testing under federal law.

But track workers are subject to tests only if their supervisors suspect they are under the influence.

Almost a year after the safety agreement, the union and Mass Bay Commuter Railroad Co. still have no policy on random drug testing. James F. O'Leary, the company's general manager, said he is making a strong effort, with participation from federal officials.

Randall Brassell, a spokesman for the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way, which represents track workers, said a new drug testing policy is on the "fast track."

Why?

Because of a crash in Woburn in January 2007 in which two track workers were killed. One of the track workers who died tested positive for marijuana. Last month, the National Transportation Safety Board cited human error as the cause of the crash. Among several recommendations: change federal law to require drug testing for track workers.

"We have no doubt doubled our efforts" since the Woburn crash to offer counseling to employees who need help, O'Leary said. He added that he believes substance abuse is no worse on the rails than in other parts of society.

Drug testing is one layer, but convincing workers that it's a serious issue is probably more important. Many people who work in railroads are on call, meaning some will be caught off guard when they are called into work after a wedding or a football game. Others may have a serious problem.

"If you were on the property and you were impaired, we would have that intervention with you and call you off to the side and say: 'This is unacceptable behavior, and it's not going to be tolerated,"' said Richard Duggan, a train engineer and the volunteer coordinator for Operation Redblock.

The safety agreement will turn a year old next month.

The Federal Railroad Administration will report on the railroad's progress and decide whether to keep the agreement in effect.

Can't get there...

The Congress Street onramp to I-93 south and I-90 west will be closed from 11:30 p.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. Friday.

Please send complaints, comments, or story ideas to starts@globe.com. The column can be found at boston.com/starts. Sarah Gantz contributed to this report.

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